Less than half aspirants turn up for CAT Phase 2

Out of the 11,000 CAT aspirants on the second phase list, only 4,800 took the test.

Out of the 11,000 CAT aspirants on the second phase list, only 4,800 took the test.

HT Image

The admission criteria for the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), CAT went online for the first time in December 2009 but virus attacks in centres across the country disrupted the exam.

The IIMs had to have a second phase, which was held on January 30 and 31, to accommodate those who could not take the test in the first phase. There were 42 testing location in 26 cities. Mumbai had two centres — Father Agnel Engineering College in Bandra and Thakur Engineering College in Kandivili.

“About 6,500 of those invited to the second phase already had a valid score for potential selection to the IIMs and opted out in the second phase,” said Soumitra Roy, managing director, Prometric-India, the US-based agency which conducted the test. More than 2.15 lakh have successfully taken the test.

In Mumbai, most students skipped CAT to appear for NMAT, the entrance test for Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, which also went online for the first time this year. “The chances of cracking the test are so low that aspirants would not want to risk giving up on other entrance,” said Arks Srinivas from T.I.M.E Institute, a coaching centre.